Bachelor of Social Work
2025 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2025 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Bachelor of Social Work |
| Deakin course code | H330 |
| Course version | 1 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health |
| Course Information | For students who commenced from 2005 to 2018 |
| Campus | Campus of offer for students who commenced prior to 2019 |
| Duration | 4 years full-time or part-time equivalent. Students who meet eligibility requirements will enrol in H430 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) for their fourth year of study. Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements. |
| CRICOS code | 015207F |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7 |
Offered to continuing students only. The final intake for this course version was Trimester 1 2018 Students should contact a Student Adviser in Student Central for course,course map and enrolment information. | |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Indicative student workload
- Professional recognition
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Mandatory student checks
- Pathways
- Articulated courses
- Course learning outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Work experience
- Third party arrangements
- Other learning experiences
- Research and research-related study
- Fees and charges
Course overview
A degree in social work gives you the skills to enhance the wellbeing of people, taking into account the influence of policy, socio-economic factors and social justice issues. You will also become familiar with a range of social research methods and learn how to design and conduct research directly relevant to social work practice.
At Deakin, the Bachelor of Social Work has a particular emphasis on human rights, anti-oppressive practice and the importance of critical reflection.
You will graduate with the professional recognition and the training you need to launch a rewarding career.
With a strong emphasis on progressive, innovative and student-centred teaching practices, we aim to develop highly professional social workers who are able to work alongside individuals, groups and communities to enable social changes that support all people to have a good life.
Social work is part of a growing human services field. As a Social Work graduate you may be involved in activities as diverse as policy development and research, counselling, family therapy, drug and alcohol counselling, community development, refugee assistance and tribunal capacities. Social workers also work as program managers or coordinators, as advocates, facilitators, activists or consultants. You may work in specialist areas such as health, housing, education, or with groups such as the aged, women, youth or multicultural populations.
Deakin’s Bachelor of Social Work is an Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) accredited qualification. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS).
The Bachelor of Social Work is offered at pass or Honours level. Students who meet eligibility requirements can apply to enrol in Honours at completion of their third year. The key eligibility criterion being a WAM of 70 or above in the Bachelor of Social Work. H430 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) is then completed in the fourth year where BSW students are expected to undertake a suite of research focused units. It is important to plan your pathway through the Bachelor of Social Work carefully to keep the option of Honours open for the final year. Please see Course Structure Level 4 H430 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) for more information.
Indicative student workload
Attendance requirements for Online students
Online students will be required to attend on campus intensive workshops depending upon units of enrolment.
As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of learning activities each week. This may include a combination of self-paced study, lectures, seminars, simulations and online interactions. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.
2025 Intensive dates information is available here.
Professional recognition
The course is accredited with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). Students completing the course are eligible to apply for membership of AASW and can practise professionally throughout Australia.
Note: All information regarding professional recognition is accurate at the date of publication. Enquiries regarding accreditation and professional membership should be directed to the School of Health and Social Development in order to ascertain the current status of accreditation at any future point in time beyond publication. Representations about accreditation apply only to the course, and the AASW retains discretion as to who they admit as members of their association. Deakin University cannot exercise any control over membership of an external body.
Career opportunities
Social work is part of a growing human services field, with graduates working across local, state and federal government departments; in private and non-government human services organisations; and in various advocacy, policy making and tribunal capacities.
As a Social Work graduate you may be involved in activities as diverse as policy development and research, counselling, family therapy, drug and alcohol counselling, community development, refugee assistance and tribunal capacities. Social workers also work as program managers or coordinators, as advocates, facilitators, activists or consultants. You may work in specialist areas such as health, housing, education, or with groups such as the aged, women, youth or multicultural populations.
Participation requirements
Two field education placements of 500 hours each, totalling a minimum of 1000 hours that are conducted in a variety of communities and workplaces in metropolitan and regional settings.
International students studying through the Cloud Campus may not be granted a visitor visa to complete mandatory onsite components of the course.
Elective units may be selected that include compulsory placements, work-based training, community-based learning or collaborative research training arrangements.
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. Click here for more information.
Mandatory student checks
Department of Human Services policy - Police Record Check and Working With Children Check
In accordance with Department of Human Services policy, all students are required to undertake a National Police Record Check prior to clinical placements in each calendar year of their course.
In accordance with the Department of Justice 2007, Working with Children Act 2005, amended 2017, all students are required to undertake a Working with Children Check at the commencement of their course. Students who fail to obtain a Police Record Check and a Working with Children Check prior to the commencement of clinical placement will not be able to undertake clinical placement and this will impede progress in the course.
Students may also be required to declare their immunisation status to satisfy the requirements of health organisations where they will be undertaking their clinical learning experience. A health organisation may refuse to accept a student for placement if the student’s immunisation status is not satisfactory to the health organisation
Inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are those skills, values and behaviours that students must demonstrate in order to complete the Bachelor of Social Work. Learn more about inherent requirements.
Pathways
H330 Bachelor of Social Work is a qualifying degree and does not have a formal pathway to further study. Graduates of H430 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) can enrol in an HDR H803 Master in Social Work (Research) or another discipline or an HDR doctoral program.
Articulated courses
| Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) (H430) |
Course learning outcomes
| Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes | Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
| Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities | Apply a broad and coherent understanding in contemporary Australian and international contexts of the histories, aims, values, ethics, theories and practice approaches of social work. This knowledge is to cover all domains including working with individuals, families, groups, communities, management, research education and social policy. Practise social work reflectively according to the code of ethics and professional practice standards of the Australian Association of Social Workers. |
| Communication | Evaluate and apply appropriate communication and interpersonal skills in a broad range of social work practice contexts and with a diversity of people, communities and organisations. |
| Digital literacy | Use digital technology in social work practice ethically and appropriately, including in service provision and management, information acquisition and dissemination, and research and evaluation. |
| Critical thinking | Analyse, synthesise and apply knowledge of social work theories, methods and skills, with an emphasis on critical social work with the goal of social change. |
| Problem solving | Apply social work knowledge and intervention skills to appropriately and creatively respond to the needs of individuals, groups and communities in diverse settings, client groups and geographic locations. Apply research knowledge and skills to evaluate evidence and contribute to the role of research in social work practice. |
| Self-management | Engage in critical reflective, reflexive and responsive practice, demonstrating an awareness of social location and positioning of self and others. Demonstrate a developing sense of identity, integrity and self-management as a professional social worker in all areas of practice. Participate in on-going professional development including engaging in professional supervision. |
| Teamwork | Work and learn respectfully and inclusively in collaborative intra and inter disciplinary settings. |
| Global citizenship | Engage in decolonising practises in order to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people as Traditional Owners of Australian lands. Evaluate and apply local and global knowledge of the social, political, cultural, legal and economic contexts of social work practice to respond effectively within a human rights and social justice framework. Work and learn across diverse social, cultural and political locations. |
Course rules
To complete the Bachelor of Social Work students must pass 32 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
- 29 credit points of core units
- 3 credit points of open elective units
- a maximum of 2 elective units may be studied at level 1
To complete the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) students must pass 32 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
- 30 credit points of core units
- 2 credit points of open elective units
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.
Note:
- Failure of a practice education placement will normally lead to exclusion
Course structure
Core units
Level 1 - Trimester 1
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin '(0 credit points)' replaces HAI010* |
| AIP107 | Introduction to Politics: Democracy, Power, Resistance and Change |
| ASC101 | Introduction to Sociology: the Sociological Imagination |
| HSW101 | Introduction to Social Work: Social Work Theory and Practice A |
| HBS107 | Understanding Health |
Level 1 - Trimester 2
| ASC102 | Introduction to Sociology: the Sociology of Everyday Life |
| HSW111 | Theories for Social Work Practice: Social Work Theory and Practice B |
| HSW118 | Social Work Methods in Context: Social Work Theory and Practice C |
plus
| HBS110 | Health Psychology (Behaviour Change) |
Or
| HPS111 | Introduction to Psychology: Human Behaviour |
Level 2 - Trimester 1
| AIP230 | Policy and How It Shapes Us |
| HSW221 | Community-Engaged Research Practice A |
| HSW235 | Community Development: Social Work Theory and Practice D |
plus one elective
Level 2 - Trimester 2
| HSW201 | Human Rights and Social Justice: Values, Ethics and the Legal Context of Social Work |
| HSW212 | Practice Skills: Social Work Theory and Practice E |
| HSW219 | Self and Society |
plus one elective
Level 3 - Trimester 1
| HSW314 | Social Work Field Education A |
Level 3 - Trimester 2
| ASC304 | Culture and Control: Boundaries and Identities |
| HSW313 | Doing Critical Social Work: Social Work Theory and Practice F |
| HSW316 | Critical Social Policy |
| HSW322 | Applied Social Research in Ethical and Political Context |
plus one elective
Level 4 - Pass stream
Trimester 1
| HSW402 | Critical Approaches to Social Work: Social Work Theory and Practice G |
| HSW434 | Administration and Policy Development: The Organisational Context |
| HSW452 | Working in Uncertainty: Social Work Theory and Practice H |
plus one elective
Trimester 2
| HSW415 | Social Work Field Education B |
Level 4 - H430 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)
(CRICOS code: 088319E)
Trimester 1
| HSW401 | Social Work Research Methods |
| HSW402 | Critical Approaches to Social Work: Social Work Theory and Practice G |
| HSW416 | Social Work Honours Research Project A |
Trimester 2
| HSW404 | Social Work Field Education B Research Focused |
| HSW417 | Social Work Honours Research Project B |
*HAI010 Academic Integrity (no longer available for enrolment, replacement unit DAI001)
Work experience
Practice Education
Field education placements provide an opportunity for students to learn from experience under the supervision of qualified social work practitioners. During the course you will complete two field education placements of 500 hours each, totalling a minimum of 1000 hours that are conducted in a variety of communities and workplaces in metropolitan and regional settings.
Course duration
You may be able to study available units in the optional third trimester to fast-track your degree, however your course duration may be extended if there are delays in meeting course requirements, such as completing a placement.
Eligibility
This course is suitable for students who hold an undergraduate degree in an unrelated study area or do not have an undergraduate degree. If you hold a related undergraduate degree then you may consider our Master of Social Work to fast-track your studies. However, graduates of this course* will not be admitted to the Master of Social Work, please refer to the entry requirements to determine the degree best suited to you.
*Graduates of the Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) are already eligible to apply for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and can practice professionally throughout Australia.
Further information
Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.
- Contact Student Central
Third party arrangements
Deakin University, School of Health and Social Development and the discipline of Social work has a range of agreements with agencies to deliver practicum experiences, including field educators. These are signed by the Head of School.
Other learning experiences
There is an opportunity for students to take part in exchange programs or study tours.
Research and research-related study
For H430 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours), there are four credit points that focus explicitly on research or research training. This is achieved in HSW416 Social Work Honours Research Project A (2 credit points), HSW417 Social Work Honours Research Project B (1 credit point) and the research course work unit HSW401 Social Work Research Methods (1 credit point). In addition, the social work field education placement unit HSW404 Social Work Field Education B Research Focused (3 credit points) not only meets the requirement for applied professional training but also contributes to the research and research training.
Fees and charges
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.